Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

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One of the aspects of living a more balanced and harmonious life is health.  Mr. Wright has been nagging at me for weeks to cook healthy meals.  It's not that I'm against healthy.  It's just that I don't want to always eat healthy.  I'm pregnant and have desires!  I can't eat good cheese.  I can't drink wine.  I can't eat deli meat.  I don't want to have chocolate and ciabatta bread take from me either damnit!  BUT as I was reading about Feng Shui and realizing more and more how  I want to incorporate the philosophy into my life, I decided nutrition and health is a huge factor of feeling balanced.  If I keep junk in my home (chips, cookies, etc) then I'm going to continue to feed my body junk.  And it's not going to be possible for me to feel my absolute best eating that crap.  I am not going cold turkey though.  I'm just going to be making smartER and healthiER choices. 

So along came this recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  I followed it for the most part.  I didn't grill the fish.  Instead I sauteed it.  Using the pan drippings from the tilapia, Mr. Wright added about 1/4 cup butter to the pan then sauteed some shrimp.  To the mango salsa I added a teaspoon ish of honey and let it sit while the tilapia marinated. At first I just served the mango salsa on the fish with lettuce.  Mr. Wright cut up the fish and shrimp and turned it into more of a wrap.  Boy oh boy was it delicious.  I was surprised at how full it made me feel.  I guess I just figured it would be light, but not filling.  It was filling.  And it was great!  The best part of this meal is how good it actually made me feel.  I had so much energy the rest of the night and wasn't too drained to do the dishes or clean up like I usually am.  I think this recipe is a must try for the simplicity and health factors.

Here's the recipe as it appears on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1 teaspoon dried basil


• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 2 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets


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• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced


• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced


• 2 tablespoons minced red onion


• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced


• 2 tablespoons lime juice


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley, garlic, basil, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the tilapia fillets, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.


2. Prepare the mango salsa by combining the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve.


3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate.


4. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill the fillets until the fish is no longer translucent in the center, and flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Serve the tilapia topped with mango salsa.